Questions are the key to opening the door to exhibiting success. By asking the right questions in the right way, you can engage the attention of prospective customers, gain their trust, and get the information you need to ultimately make the sale.
An engaging question gives the attendee a chance to open up and talk about their business needs. Avoid questions that give a “Yes or No” response. Better known as “closed questions,” these are the absolute worst type of questions to ask when you first engage a prospect, because they slam the door on any further conversation. The worst of the worst is of course, the retail special door slammer question, “Can I help you?” You know the answer and it’s not pretty!
There are a plethora questions you can ask prospects. However, one thing to always bear in mind, is knowing what information would be most important for you to have and understand about the prospect and his/her situation.
Here are a random set of five questions to add to your research toolbox:
- What changes will you be making in the next six months?” Not only will this question help you choose what products and programs work best, it’s a great way to encourage your prospect to open up.
- What are your three main criteria for buying? Attendees are interested in what your product can do for them. Find out what they need and then show them how your product can address that need.
- When are you planning to buy? This and other basic qualifying questions will help you sort your leads into categories.
- How can we serve you better? Hearing about mistakes your company has made can be painful, but this is the only way to ensure those mistakes are corrected.
- What’s the best way to get in touch with you? Contact information these days includes multiple phone and fax numbers, street addresses, email addresses, IM (instant messaging) and Twitter names. Generally, people have one preferred mode. Ask your prospects which one they prefer to use.
